Thanksgiving Mass to celebrate 50 years of Consecration of Cathedral

Thanksgiving Mass to celebrate the 50th year of Consecration of St Joseph’s Cathedral. (Photo: John Lai)

KUCHING — St Joseph’s Church was consecrated on 19 March 1969 by the Vicar Apostolic, Bishop Charles Reiterer MHM. It was elevated to St Joseph’s Cathedral on 31 May 1976 when the Vicariate of Kuching became an Archdiocese.

In celebrating its Golden Jubilee Mass on 19 March 2019, Archbishop
Simon Poh thanked God for the gift of the Cathedral that was dedicated exactly
50 years ago.

The Mass was concelebrated by Archbishop Emeriti Peter
Chung and John Ha, Bishop Richard Ng and 33 priests from the Archdiocese of
Kuching.

The Cathedral was packed to capacity. At the end of Mass, Archbishop Simon invited Archbishop Emeritus John Ha to launch the commemorative coffee table book that he had authored for this special occasion.

In his speech, Emeritus John Ha stressed the importance of
history for any community, society and nation, as it entails how and why they
have reached their current status, and provide lessons for them to chart the
future.

St Joseph’s Cathedral has a history that began in 1881. Today, the Cathedral stands as a monumental testimony to the Catholic community in the Archdiocese of Kuching, of our Christian and spiritual growth, as a local church.

Emeritus John Ha said to date, little has been recorded of the Cathedral’s growth. He was baptised and confirmed in the old Church, and ordained as a priest and bishop in the Cathedral.

He dedicated the book as a token of gratitude to God for
the gift of the Gospel and gift of the Cathedral. He was on hand to personally
autograph his book ‘ICON OF CHANGE’ after the launch.

They include stained glass at the main entrance, as well as an air conditioning system. Electrical rewiring, repair of roof leaks, upgrading of sound, projection and lighting system are also in the works.

Outside the Cathedral, the construction of an open piazza, side terracing, covered walkway, Mother Mary’s shrine among others, will certainly be an inviting sight for one and all.

The refurbishment works are planned with facilities intending to serve the community for the next 10 to 15 years, if not more.

Pope Francis on Thursday releases a video message accompanying his prayer intention for this June, that "all those who suffer may find their way in life, allowing themselves to be touched by the Heart of Jesus."

Pope Francis spoke at the General Audience about the protests in the United States following the killing of George Floyd, saying we cannot claim to defend the sacredness of every human life while turning a blind eye to racism and exclusion.

Calling on faith in the Holy Spirit's presence amid civil unrest and a global pandemic, Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda of St. Paul and Minneapolis celebrated Pentecost May 31 at the Cathedral of St. Paul in St. Paul.